The limestone piece, which stands roughly 50 centimeters (19.6 inches) tall, was taken from the La Corona site in the northern province of Peten, an area seen as the cradle of the ancient Maya civilization.

Guatemala learned in 2001 that the panel was part of a private collection in San Francisco, the country’s deputy minister for Cultural and Natural Heritage, Rosa Maria Chan, told Efe.

Guatemalan officials eventually obtained the piece from an auction house that ended up with the panel after the death of the unnamed collector, she said.

In the last 10 years, Chan said, Guatemala has recovered more than 10,500 antiquities from the United States, Germany, Britain and France, among other countries.

La Corona and the other archaeological sites in Peten were extensively looted in the 19th century, she said.